What role does Sarah Lancashire play in Black Doves? Details of the actor's part, explored

The latest from the house of Netflix, Black Doves, a tight spy thriller, stars the likes of Keira Knightley (Helen Webb), Andrew Buchan (Andrew Buchan), and Sarah Lancashire in titular roles. Lancashire, who has previously starred in Happy Valley and Halifax, plays the role of Reed in Black Doves, who is Helen’s handler.

Talking to Tudum about her role in Black Doves, Lancashire said her character,

“Recruited Helen in good faith, and Helen has been a bit of a loose cannon.”

Moreover, as Knightly said that Reed’s character has a certain motherly dynamic with Helen, Lancashire agrees to it as she also believes that she was hired for the role as Helen’s age is almost similar to hers.

Let us now explore Lancashire’s role in Black Doves in detail.

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What role does Sarah Lancashire play in Black Doves?

Sarah Lancashire’s character, Reed is shown to be the head of the organization that calls Sam (Ben Whishaw) when Helen’s secret lover Jason is murdered. Reed asks Sam to keep Helen protected as she tries to investigate Jason’s murder.

In an interview with Talk Radio, Lancashire said,

"[It] is really funny because people think she's really sinister. I mean, when I was playing her I just thought she was kind of firm but fair. She's enigmatic, and we don't know what she's thinking, and there's an ambiguity there.”

She also mentioned that despite the character being taken as sinister, she loves her mainly because of Joe Barton's writing, saying,

"He's an extraordinary writer, and so you know, when you're looking at something clever and witty and tall, and that kind of writing doesn't come along every day, it's a joy to do."

Talking about her co-stars Kiera and Ben, she said,

"It’s just a privilege, isn’t it. I mean, you've got two actors who are really at the top of their game; it’s a great position to be in."

Despite having a lustrous career that began back in 1986, Lancashire pointed out that she has never really played anything that comes close to Reed. In one of the press meets before Black Doves premiered, Lancashire said,

"Well, the joy is that I haven't played anybody like her before. She's a very self-contained character, but it's all going on inside. I think because she's given the best years of her life to an organisation which has probably robbed her of a partner, children, family, friends, it's grim.”

She further added,

"There's an air of melancholy. I think the problem is she can't unzip; if she unzips, it will all come out. She has to be a rock and an anchor for everybody else, really. And it was quite unlike anything else that I'd ever seen because it's taut and it's clever and witty and audacious and that's a very compelling combination."

She also said how Reed’s character physically and emotionally engaged her and gave her an experience she never had before.

Also Read: Did Wallace know about Helen's affair in Black Doves? His silence on the matter, explored

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What else has Sarah Lancashire done before Black Doves?

Lancashire’s claim to fame came with Coronation Street, where she played the wife of Curly Watt. She also starred in the hugely popular Happy Valley as Catherine Cawood, which made her a third-time BAFTA winner.

She has also starred in Kiri, The Accident and Everybody's Talking About Jamie.

Black Doves is streaming on Netflix.

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